Old Phones, Big Impact: Queensland Councils Turn Tech Junk Drawers Into Recycling Wins
Cairns Regional Council has topped MobileMuster’s FY26 council collection figures in Queensland, with residents helping recycle 258.73kg of old mobile phones and accessories.
Moreton Bay Regional Council followed with 127.15kg, while Rockhampton Regional Council recorded 64.78kg.
The five-year picture shows strong recycling efforts are about consistency, information sharing and access.
Across the available FY22–FY26 data, Cairns Regional Council recorded 1,007.72kg, ahead of Brisbane City Council with 800.76kg and Sunshine Coast Council with 526.23kg.
MobileMuster’s Head of Sustainability and Social Impact, Helen Maisano, said the results were a chance to celebrate communities making mobile phone recycling part of their routine.
“It’s great to see councils across Australia and their communities getting behind MobileMuster, and there’s definitely room for a little friendly competition,” Ms Maisano said.
“The leaderboard might be fun, but the impact is real. More than 95 per cent of a phone’s materials can be recovered through MobileMuster’s
With around 22 million unused mobile phones estimated to be sitting in Australian homes, Ms Maisano said there was significant potential to recover more of these devices and the materials inside them.
“Of those phones, around 12 million no longer work. If a device has reached the end of its useful life, there’s little reason to leave it sitting forgotten in a drawer.”
For those hesitant to part with an old phone because of concerns about personal information, Ms Maisano said MobileMuster provided a secure way to recycle unwanted devices.
“We encourage people to back up their information and factory reset their phone where they can, and any data remaining on a device is destroyed when it is recycled.”
And for councils that didn’t make the top of the leaderboard this time, Ms Maisano said the race was far from over.
“If your council didn’t claim the number one spot this year, there is always next year.”
MobileMuster accepts all brands and types of mobile phones, batteries, chargers and accessories, including broken and obsolete devices. Devices collected through the program are not refurbished or resold.
Councils across Australia can opt-in to be a MobileMuster collection site, at locations including libraries, community centres and council buildings.
The initiative has responsibly recycled more than 2,000 tonnes of e-waste since 1998, with free collection options available around Australia.
Residents can search MobileMuster to find their nearest collection point, and if you’re in a rural or remote area, MobileMuster can arrange free post-back options.
In September, every phone donated to MobileMuster also benefits Zoo conservation efforts across Australia. $1 for every phone recycled will go towards helping primates and their habitats around the world, in partnership with Zoos Victoria, Zoos SA, Sydney Zoo, and Taronga Zoo.
